Shoe-form.



' G. T. WILLIAMS, H. S. POSTER & N. G. WILKINSON.

SHOE FORM. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13. 1914.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

. UNITED STATES PATE E- GEORGE r. WILLIAMS, HAROLD s. rosrnn, AND NEWTON c. WILKINSON, cadmium.

RAPIDS, IOWA.

sHoE-roiuvr.

Application filed November 13, 1914. Serial a... 871,896. 1 l

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that we, GEORGE T. WIL- Lmws, HAROLD S. FOSTER, and NEWTON C. lVILKINsoN, citizens of .the United States, all residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Forms, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to means for displaying shoes in store windows and elsewhere; and has for its object to provide a simple device whereby a shoe may be tended so as to present an appearance similar to that it presents when on the foot, as a means for attracting attention to the particular shoe and to other goods in the store.

The nature of the invention is fully disclosed in thedescription and claim follow-' ing, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a shoe containing one of our improved forms. Fig. 2 shows the form detached. Fig. 3 1s a sectional view showing parts'of the distending wire and the socket in which its front end is inserted. Fig. 4 is a metal socket to be attached to the molded form inserted in the.

vamp. Fig. 5 is the sheet metal blank from which said socket is formed. p

The device is simple, and is briefly described as follows: The numeral 1 refers to a vamp-filling form, which may be molded of leather, papier mach, or other suitable material, and is in the nature of a partial, skeleton last, designed to plump out the vamp portion of the shoe and give it practically the form it should have when worn. In the case of stiff or boX-toed shoes this form need not extend entirely to the toe, as indicated by the full outline. but for softtoed shoes it is desirable that the form have a full toe, as indicated by the dotted line, so that the toe of the shoe is plumped out fully, as well as the rest of the vamp. These forms should vary in size, of course, and also, to a certain extent, as to the style of last according to which the shoe is made.

To the front, upper part of the molded form is attached a socket 2, adapted to re ceive the forward end of a distending wire 3, to be described presently. In practice the socket is formed of sheet metal cut in substantially the shape shown in Fig. 5.

It is bent to form curved wings 4e conforming to the contour of the molded form, to

which it is suitably fastened, as by rivets 5.

The crimp at, 6 forms the back and side walls of the socket, and the tongue 7, bent forward at 8 and upwardly at 9, forms the bottom and front wall of the socket, respectively, well without the tongue, but this is desirable, to protect this part of the molded form from the wear and-pressure of the distcnding wire.

The distending wire is best made in substantially the form shown. Just above the end which enters the socket is a slight offset, 10, corresponding to the thickness of the molded form and the tongue of the attached socket, so, that the front, curved part of the distending wire runs flush with the front face of the form. Thence upwardly it conforms to the front of the ankle portion of the shoe. At the top, 11, it is pref erably made practically straight. The back portion 12 is angled or curved to conform to the back of the ankle and'counter, and should terminate in an eye 13, or th'elike, to prevent any catching or wear on the shoe lining. Normally the distender is considerably wider from front to back than when placed in a shoe, the spring of thegwire thus serving to hold the form snugly forward in the vamp, and also to distend the ankle flatwise, giving to the shoe the conventional form which is quite attractive for purposes of display. It is to be noted that the form of the distender is such as to act on the ankle of the shoe almost to the very top, and at the same time leave the wire 'vractically concealed. In practice it is preferred that it be entirely concealed, but in Fig. 1 is shown rather high in order to show it at all without breaking away a part of the shoe.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

The socket would serve fairly- In applying the form to a shoe the vampformis first inserted and pressed snugly 1n place, the shoe being unbuttoned or unlacod. The distender is then sprung inwardly and placed in position, with its front end in the socket. The shoe is then buttoned or laced, and is ready for display, a shown in Fig. 1. 1

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

A shoe-form consisting of a vamp-fillin form provided near its rear upper edge with whole front and back of the shoe are held a socket, and a distender for the ankle porout smoothly by said shoe-form.

tion of the shoe composed of a wire 0011- In testimony whereof we a fix our signeforming at the front and heel}:1 wlilthl. the tn res in presence of two-witnesses. ankle and instep and With t e ee or I counter, respectively, the legs of the dis- 1 '7 tender being normally. sprung apart and 1 compressed for insertion in the shoe: and NEWlON the portion of the front leg inserted in the Witnesses:

, socket being brought flush with the shoe MAUDE FLINT MoRnnAn,

front close to the vamp-form, so that the M. S'IXVJOHN; 

